Kissing Cousins
by WilyArmadilla
Summary: When Edward and Alice are sent to stay with their cousin Rose, childhood friendships are broken, relationships are tested, and love is both lost and found. When Bella is betrayed by those she most trusted, she turns to Edward - the only person who told her the truth. But what if he isn't the innocent bystander he seems to be?
1. Chapter 1

Mondays. I hate Mondays. Especially when they start with me running smack into the jamb on my bedroom door. Now let me be clear, Bella Swan running into things isn't unusual. I really _am_ that clumsy. But damn that hurt. I pressed the heel of my hand over the bump on my forehead, cursing under my breath as I headed into the bathroom to shower. I had hit the snooze button one too many times and now I had to rush to get ready before my ride arrived to pick me up for school.

I usually ride to school with my best friend Roselie, but she was laying out today so my boyfriend was picking me up instead. And he had a nasty habit of getting places on time instead of the ten or twenty minutes late that was usual for Rose.

I was running the brush through my damp hair and trying to pull on my old Chuck's at the same time when the blaring notes of "Dixie" split the morning quiet. I had to grin. Jasper is such a red-neck. But he's MY red-neck so I chose to find his enthusiasm for the Dukes of Hazzard to be endearing and amusing instead of annoying. I clattered down the stairs, swinging my backpack over one shoulder and dashing into the kitchen to grab a breakfast bar and tell my dad good-bye.

"I'm gonna be late today so I won't be home to make dinner." I said as I stooped to plant a kiss on Charlie's head as I went by. "Rose's cousins are coming in today and we're gonna show 'em around."

Charlie didn't even look up from his paper. "That's fine. I'm on evening shift tonight anyway. Won't be home until late. I left you a cup of coffee on the counter over there." As Chief of Police, Charlie didn't have to work nights, but he believed in leading by example so he took his fair share of late shifts. He never took advantage of the perks of his job, something that my mother found unacceptable. Hence her packing up and running off in the night. But that's okay. We're just fine without her, Charlie and I.

"You're a life-saver!" I exclaimed as I grabbed the steaming mug and took a huge swallow.

"Dixie" sounded again and Charlie huffed a laugh. "Better get goin' kid, or I'll have to cite Jasper with disturbing the peace."

I flashed him a grin and a wave and then I was out the door.


	2. Chapter 2

It was a good thing I kept my eyes on my feet as I carefully picked my way down the icy porch steps because when I looked up...yup...there go the feet and down on my ass I fall. I can't really blame it on my clumsiness this time though. I was laughing so hard I would be on the ground, ice or no ice.

Because Jasper had gotten his car back from the painter's and what he'd done...Oh. My. GOD! I knew he was a fan, in fact I'd even be willing to agree that he was the BIGGEST fan of all things "Dukes" but this shit was just wrong. It would be one thing if he drove a muscle car, but a Volkswagen Beetle should never, ever sport the '01' and a bright orange paint job!

I struggled to get to my feet, said process being severely impeded by my continuous giggling. I was on my hands and knees when Jasper popped out of the car and trotted toward me. "Hold up, darlin'. Let me help you there.", he called. I relaxed back onto my knees, taking deep breaths to control my laughter and admiring the view as he made his way up the walk. Hmmm. Nice. He was all long, lean and graceful boy. His wavy blond hair was maybe a bit too long, but I like it that way. And I like the way he pulls me to my feet and sweeps me into a hug all in one smooth motion. He kisses my forehead and looks down at me, his pretty blue eyes dancing with amusement.

"You laughed," he pouted. Well, he tried to pout but it didn't quite work with the grin he just couldn't suppress. He pivoted and began walking to the car, keeping one arm around me for support while gesturing expansively with the other. "He's beautiful. And as soon as Rose gets done with the engine, he'll be perfect! Just wait. You'll see."

His enthusiasm wasn't even dented by my obvious amusement. But then again, you could say it was all my fault that he's like this. It was I, after all, that controlled the channel surfing that night. And it was I who stopped - oh, god...WHY did I stop there? (Yeah, I'll never know). But stop I did. And that, as they say, is that. Jasper was hooked. Very few people saw this side of him. He's usually pretty laid-back. He's the quiet guy that handles everything with some sort of Zen-like calm. Unless it's the Duke boys. THEN he was more like Kung Fu Panda. "He really is pretty cute" I thought fondly, as he extolled the excellence of the paint job and the 'street cred' he'd accrue from having such an awesome ride.

"I'm sure you're right, baby." I agreed, silently patting myself on the back for being a good, supportive girlfriend. Rose was a wizard with engines so who was I to say that she couldn't work miracles? With a pleased look he closed my door, sauntered around the car and slid into the drivers seat.

With a final blast of the horn we were off.


	3. Chapter 3

My morning classes pass with their usual monotony. I conjugated en Espanol doodled my way through Calculus, and took too few notes in AP History. My coffee and breakfast bar were wearing thin by the time lunch arrived. Jasper and Emmett were waiting at our table when I walked into the lunchroom. Emmett is a year ahead of us and if you didn't know they were brothers, you'd never see the resemblance. Where Jasper is quiet (usually), Emmett is so physically imposing that ignoring him is impossible. He's also one of those people with a personality so large the air fairly crackles with it. "Silence" and "Emmett" do not belong in the same sentence (or the same room, for that matter). As different as they were, in some things they were the same. Competitive, sure. They are brothers after all. But also honest, kind, generous and fiercely protective of those they love. That includes me and Rose. Did I mention that Emmett is Rose's boyfriend?

We'd grown up together - Emmett, Jasper, and I. My folks were best friends with their folks and there was never a time when they weren't 'joking' about pairing Jasper and me, or Emmett and me. That stopped in the eighth grade when Roselie Hale moved in next door to me. She and Emmett took one look at each other and have been inseparable ever since. Emmett got a girlfriend, and I got a best friend. Shortly thereafter, Jasper decided that he should be my boyfriend since we all went everywhere together anyway. That was fine. I did love Jasper so it all made sense.

"Bella," Emmett hollered. "Grab me a slice of pizza!" I rolled my eyes and gave him a thumbs up as I shuffled along the counter, grabbing an apple, some yogurt, and Emmett's slice of pizza. I hadn't even settled in my seat before he grabbed it, folded it in half, and shoved it into his mouth.

"Fanks, Bewwa" he mumbled, his cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk.

"No problem," I replied, leaning over to give Jasper a smacking kiss on the cheek. "How was class?" I asked, pulling the lid off the yogurt. "Heard from Rose yet?"

"English sucked. Pop quiz so be prepared." Jasper said. I nodded but I wasn't worried. We were reading Wuthering Heights, which is one of my favorite books, so I was confident I'd have no problem.

"Rosie texted me in second period. Her cousins made it in and they're going to get settled then meet us at the diner for dinner." Emmett added, before taking another huge bite of pizza. He swallowed that down and continued, "Rose wants us to help 'em out, show 'em around, warn 'em about the undesirables...you know, just help 'em get comfortable here."

I felt bad for the cousins. Rose told me that her aunt and uncle were having marital problems and they didn't want their children to be in the middle of it all, so they sent them here to Forks. Sucks to be them, starting a new school in the middle of the year. And since we were a very small town, with an even smaller High School, there was no way they would be able to blend in without notice. I was glad that we could help them.


	4. Chapter 4

EPOV

"This sucks," I muttered for the thousandth time. "It's not _my_ fault Dad's an ass. Why are we getting punished for something that _he_ did?" I turned my head to glare at my mother. She sighed, but didn't say anything. What else could she say that hadn't been said already? I knew why this was happening, and she knew I knew. Even though she hadn't wanted me to.

"Edward, would you and Alice please come out to the living room?" I frowned down at the keys of my piano. I was right on the edge of getting the new melody down perfectly.

"Mom! Can it wait for a few? I'm kinda busy here..." I yelled back, fingers already pressing down, "..._maybe if I transition here instead of_..." my thoughts were cut off when she leaned in through the doorway of the music room.

"Edward, NOW. Family meeting." Uh-oh. We don't have a lot of 'family meetings' so this could not mean anything good. I shook my hands to loosen the melody from them and reluctantly rose from the piano bench. When I entered the next room both my parents and my sister Alice were already waiting.

Alice is my twin, younger by a good eight and a half minutes. I always teased her that she was my "little sister" not just because I was older but because she really is a tiny little thing. Where I had pretty much topped out at 6'1. she was a foot shorter, and that always bugged her. I would insist that we weren't really twins, that we found her under a toadstool one day, a teeny-tiny pixie elf that Mom and Dad kindly took into our home. And I was nice enough to share my birthday with her. I teased her mercilessly about her tiny little hands, her tiny little face, and her tiny little legs, while she shot back barbs about my hair (yeah, it's crazy untamable. It never does what I want it to, and it's a weird color between dark brown and red brown. But for some reason, the ladies _really_ like it. So I hate it and I love it at the same time. And Alice knows this...), about my Frankenstein-like stature, and my metro-sexuality (Hey, so I like to be pampered...Don't judge me!), and my girly attachment to the baby grand in the music room. She used to tease me about my braces and acne until the metal came off and the Pro-Active appeared in my en suite.

She never said, but I knew she put it there for me. She always knows what I'm feeling, and I always know where she is, and vice versa. It's a twin thing. And she knew the snark about the acne stung. So it was her way of apologizing and trying to make it better. Just like I did when I bought her those high-ass platform heels after Alex Volturi made her cry when he told her he wouldn't date her because she was too short. Damn if those shoes didn't raise her up an extra six inches, too. The next day she wore them to school with a far too-short skirt, and a tight-as-hell sweater, looked him eye-to-eye and told him he was a douche and that he was delusional if he thought she'd waste all of _this_ (gesturing from the top of her head to the toes of those stiletto's) on something like _that_ waving her hand in his direction. He gaped at her as she spun around and flounced off...soon to be surrounded by a bunch of horn-dog assholes that I ended up having to chase off in the ensuing months. But still...she got to tell him off, gained a shit load of confidence, and never wasted another second on the jerk. Mission accomplished.

My father cleared his throat, "Okay then. Edward, can you take a seat please? Your mother and I need to talk to you both."

I glanced over, meeting Alice's eyes for a second, eye-brow raised in question. She stared back, and shrugged. She didn't know why we were here either. I sat down on the round ottoman in front of Alice's chair, picking her feet up and resting them on my lap. My parents sat opposite us, each at one end of the long sofa. They were both stiffly upright and tense. I shifted restlessly as they traded looks of helplessness.

"What's going on?" Alice asked, her voice tense. I could feel her shaking. I looked at her, then back at my parents. Something wasn't right.

"Well...you see...your mom and I, we're going through a rough patch.." my dad began, staring down at the floor. My mother glared at him.

"Ed, you said you wouldn't go there. We agreed on this." She turned to us, taking a deep breath.

"Your father and I think it best for you to go stay with your Aunt Helen for a while. You must know how *hard* your father's been working, what with all the missed dinners and recitals..." Her voiced dripped sarcasm. My father shrunk back on the sofa, still staring at the floor. Yeah, he worked a lot, but I always knew he did it because he loved us and wanted to give us the best. I sorta admired that about him. I didn't get why it made her so mad.

"Well, I've decided to get back into art appraisals and that'll take me out of town a lot, leaving the two of you unsupervised. While I know you both are old enough to look after yourselves, we're also concerned about some of the company you're keeping." She raised her brows, looking at us both knowingly.

Yeah, we were both pretty popular with the opposite sex so I could see where she was coming from on that. I smirked glancing at Alice, sure to see an answering grin on her face. But she wasn't smiling. Her brows were scrunched up and she was scowling at our mother.

"What? Alice, what!?" I whispered.

"Did you miss the part where they're sending us into EXILE because they don't have _time_ to be our parents anymore?!" she hissed back. I jerked my head around, staring at the two on the sofa. Obviously Mom was pissed at Dad, again...wait...lately she was _always_ pissed at him. Or he was pissed at her. They never fought with each other, per se, but their tight-lipped, overly polite interactions weren't as subtle as they thought. Things were bad between my parents, _really_ bad, and had been for some time. My eyes narrowed.

"Are you guys getting a divorce?" I demanded. Alice gasped back a sob, and pulled her legs up, wrapping her arms around her knees and burying her head. "No..." she moaned.

My father half-rose from his seat, arms reaching out. "No, baby. No..." he crooned. Alice was "daddy's girl", but at this moment I didn't want him to touch her. I shot him a 'back-off' look and he sank down onto the sofa, looking at us sadly. I gathered my trembling twin into my arms, rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"Ssshhhh. Sssshhh, Sissy. It'll be okay" I snuggled her under my chin, trying to calm her when I was anything but calm myself. I looked over at the only two who could make sense of this.

"Edward, don't be so dramatic." My mother rolled her eyes. "Your father and I are _not_ getting a divorce. The truth is...now that you both are teen-agers, even with my charities and garden, I've gotten bored with things. You know I've always loved art, and I've been offered an opportunity to get back into that. If this works out, and I can contribute monetarily to the household, your father won't have to 'work' as hard." again with the dripping sarcasm. My father looks over at her, his face expressionless but for the guilt in his eyes.

He turns back to us, "Well, yes. There's that. Anyway, your mother has talked to Helen and she's delighted to have you both. And it isn't forever, just until your mother and I can settle into a schedule that works for everyone. Six months, maybe year, depending on how things go"

Alice's head raises up, "Six months?! A freakin' YEAR?! When you said 'stay with Aunt Helen' I thought you meant 'stay' not 'go live with." she shrieks. "It's the middle of the school year, it's almost prom, and you're sending us off to a middle-of-nowhere Podunk town where we won't know _anyone_?" She pulled away from me, her hands fisting on her lap, "I'm going to miss my junior prom because the two of you have s_cheduling_ issues? That's bull, and I'm not going." she says stubbornly.

"Mary Alice Masen, you WILL go and you WILL be on your best behavior while you are there. That is all you or Edward need to know. You're going, and that's final. Family meeting over." My mother gets up and with one finally glower at my father, she walks out of the room.


	5. Chapter 5

**EPOV**

"Daddy, what..." Alice began. I was just sitting there, stunned, trying to take in the fact that my life was being turned upside down. Everything I took for granted - my comfortable room, by books, my harem (_yeah, what about my girls? They can't live without me! They told me so...!)_ my music...Ah shit...my piano...what was I going to do without my piano? And my car, how were we supposed to get around without a car? What about Alice? Her closet will never fit in Aunt Helen's guest room. What'll she do without her _clothes_? She'll freak! My head was spinning and I felt like I was going to puke. I felt a jerk on my hair and my panicked eyes rolled to meet those of my other self.

"Twin...calm down." She commanded, "_I'm_ having the break-down here. You have to wait 'til I'm finished before you can have yours." I choked out a laugh and leaned my head against her her hair.

"I'm okay, I think." I muttered a second later. I cut my eyes so I was looking where she was looking, at our father watching us interact and cling to each other.

"Okay, so there's more to it than a scheduling conflict" he admitted slowly. "Elizabeth, ahem...well, your mother didn't want me to tell you, she thinks you wouldn't understand..." he trailed off pensively.

I exchanged glances with Alice. We hated it when our parents treated us like children. We only had a year and some months before we left for college. We were already adults, practically. Alice echoed my thoughts, "Dad, we aren't little kids." she rolling her eyes. "We know you and mom are mad at each other a lot. I just don't understand why we're being punished for it."

He grimaces. "It isn't a punishment." he begins.

"Yeah, right." I grumble. "So why does it feel like it is? We're being forced to leave _everything_..." I was starting to get pissed again.

"Edward! If you will listen...", he scolded. "This is hard enough without your interruptions." I scowled back at him. He sighed.

"I...I...it wasn't supposed to happen." he confessed, closing his eyes. "I guess the best way to do this is to just spit it out. I had an affair. I cheated on your mother."

"What?" I bellowed, jumping to my feet. "You _bastard_!" I lunged at him. Alice grabbed me, clinging to my back like a damn spider monkey.

"Edward!" she shrieked, "Stop it! Stop." Her arm was around my throat, tightening as she tried to hold me back. Slight as it was, her weight throw me off and we ended up stumbling and falling back into Alice's chair. I was huffing like a freight train, trying to get both my breath and my temper under control. Her arms loosened around my neck but her legs kept tight around my waist. She peeked over my shoulder at the lying ass that sired us.

"Daddy...why?" Her voice was filled with disappointment and sadness.

He looked back at us, tears in his eyes. "I'm sooo sorry, baby. I didn't mean to. I lied to myself. Your mother...you _know_ I love your mother, but with the hours I was working and she had her charity events, your activities...she was just as busy. We never saw each other anymore. We were drifting apart. I could see it. I could _feel_ it, but I didn't know how to stop it." He took a deep breath. "Not that it excuses what I did, but I got...lonely. And then when we finally closed the deal with the Swede's..." he looked at us inquiringly.

I remembered that deal. He missed seeing me play Bach's Christmas Oratorio that time. But I was so proud of him, I didn't really care. Now that I know he was out playing games with some bimbo, well...let's just say I felt a little cheated. With his completion bonus he gave me my first Rolex and Alice got a trip to Paris Fashion Week and his American Express Black card. I think my Mom got an Escalade. I thought that it was his way of sharing his success with all of us, but now that I know they were probably guilt-gifts. It made me feel bad because I really loved that watch and now it was tainted.

I nodded to let him know I remembered...

"Well, there was champagne, and then we went out to toast the clients...and one thing led to another." He sighed. "I was drunk, and high on success...again, not to make excuses, but it happened. It was a mistake..."

"That's it?" asked Alice. "A drunken one-night stand?" She sounded as angry as I felt. "We're being shipped off because of ONE fricken' night?!"

Dad was staring a hole in the carpet.

"No, Alice. I don't thin so." I growled. "That isn't it, is it?" I demanded of the man slumped in front of us. "It wasn't just the one night, was it?"

Alice gasped.

"No." he breathed. "It wasn't just that one time." Alice began sobbing into the side of my neck, her tears running down to be absorbed by the material of my shirt. I wanted to punch him, but I just sat there and scowled.

"Are you still seeing her?" I ground out.

"No." he softly replied. "She decided to blackmail me, threatened to tell your mother unless I paid her off and kept coming to her bed. I told her I would consider it and left. I came home and confessed everything to your mother." He looked away. "You were out and Alice was on that ski trip with the Denali's."

"After she finished throwing things and calling me every name in the book, we sat down and talked like we haven't talked in, well...years. Neither of us want to separate. In spite of evidence to the contrary, I _do_ love your mother, a great deal in fact. And she says that under all her anger, she still loves me too. Our marriage, our _family_, is important enough for us to salvage." He sat up straighter and squared his shoulders. "That's where you two come in."

He studied us for a minute. "That is the reason that we are asking you to do this. Your mother and I will be going to see a marriage councilor as well as individual therapy. We will be scheduling couple's retreats every two or three weeks for the next six months at least. We _need_ to be able to concentrate on our relationship, and only our relationship, if it's to be saved. We love you both so much. We need to save us in order to save this family. I know this is abrupt, and you didn't do anything to deserve this, but I ask you to _please_ do this, for your mother if not for me."

"So now you're asking? A few minutes ago, we were told we had no choice." I sneered. "So which is it? Because I vote 'not go' if you're actually asking." Yeah, it was selfish, but all I could think of was that he hurt my mom and I wanted to be there to make sure he didn't hurt her again.

I was shocked when Alice slipped off of me and knelt beside the sofa, her hand gently taking her fathers. "I understand, Daddy. It'll be okay. You can do this, and I'll help by giving you both one less thing to worry about. Aunt Helen will take care of us until we are all strong enough to _be_ a family again." Her smile was sad, but resolute.

"What the hell, Alice?" I said. "HE did this. Not you. Not me. And not MOM. You're taking _his_ side?"

She gave me the evil eye and snapped back.

"Grow up, Edward. Do you want them to get a divorce?" She asked.

"What kind of question is that? Of course I don't want them to get a divorce. But we have a life here. And who's gonna take care of Mom if we're half a continent away?"

"I'll take care of your mother." Dad interjected.

"Yeah, because you've done such a damn good job of it so far." I shot back. I was beyond pissed. Oh, yeah...as much as I didn't want to, I understood why we were getting sent off, I just didn't like it one bit. And who better to vent my ire at than the person who actually caused the problem.

He flinched, "I suppose I deserve that. You think you're being punished, but really...do you _want_ to be here when your mother is screaming curses at me and I'm yelling insults right back at her? Because that will probably happen, and happen a lot until we get deeper into therapy."

"We never wanted you to see us fight." He finished softly. "So...that's why. Your mother didn't want me to tell you because she didn't want you to think badly of me." He shook his head. "I thought you both were old enough to understand that parents are still only people, and we will make mistakes. I would hope that you both learn something from mine." He stood. "You might want to start packing, Your plane leaves late on Sunday. You'll land in Seattle a bit before 6 a.m. Monday morning."

So here we are, ass crack of midnight, pulling into Anchorage International so we can get on a plane and fly for four hours, drive for another however many, only to end up at the armpit of nowhere for the foreseeable future. Alice seemed not only resigned, but positively enthusiastic to be going. It was irritating. I may have slammed my door a little harder than necessary when I exited, but it wasn't as satisfying as I wanted it to be.

"Oh, cheer up, Twin. Who knows, maybe we'll like Washington so much we won't want to come back."

I snorted. Yeah, right.

"Just think, you can start a whole new chapter of the Edward Masen Fan Club" she continued slyly. "I bet there're a lot more pretty girls in puny little Forks who want to join that club than there are in all of Alaska." I smirked despite myself, and she poked me in the side to make me squirm.

"Edward, please. Just do this. Make the best of it and please, _please_ don't make Mom feel any worse than she already does." she whispered, pulling out her adorably sad puppy dog eyes. I snorted again.

"Fine, pixie. " I relented. I couldn't stand against the eyes. God help me when she puts her pout together WITH the eyes...they should pass a law. That crap is dangerous. But she was right about punishing Mom for this shit.

I pulled out our suitcases, only three, thank god. Most of our stuff was being shipped down after we got settled and knew what kind of space we'd have. I dropped the last one on the sidewalk and stepped up to my mom, wrapping my arms around her and hugging her tightly. I pressed my cheek into her hair and felt her tremble against me, her arms wrapping around me like she couldn't let go.

"I'm so sorry for this, honey. So sorry..." she whispered. "Please don't think we don't want you with us. We do. We love you. We worry about you. It's just going to be so hard already. Please, Edward. Don't hate me for this. Don't hate your father." She was almost sobbing now and it made me feel like shit.

I rocked her softly, murmuring assurances that I didn't blame her, that I'll always love her. Yes, I still loved Dad even though I was really angry with him. Of course I'd look after Alice...and on and on until she finally sniffled one last time and pulled away, wiping her cheeks on her woolen scarf. She mouthed "thank you" before turning to Alice and pulling her into her own good-bye embrace.

I turned away and looked around for a skycap to help with the bags. By the time we got everything settled, we barely had time to get through security before departure time. We dashed through the airport doors and I took one last look back as they slid closed - one last look at a life I'd never be able to come back to. Nothing would be the same. With a sigh, I yielded to Alice's tugs and followed after her into a new life.


	6. Chapter 6

**I guess I should be doing the standard disclaimer - I don't own 'em, I just play with 'em. They belong to SM.**

**EPOV **

Two hours later I was bored as fuck. I tried to listen to my I-pod, but that didn't really hold my attention. I tried to read and that didn't work either. I finally resigned myself to staring out the dark window. I wanted to sleep, Twin was out like a light before the plane even took off, but for some reason I was wound up tight as a spring. I couldn't relax. Maybe it was all the stress from the past two days.

Saturday had been weird. Alice and I posted notices of the impending move on our Facebook pages and you'd think we were being sent off to die, not moving to Mayberry. The net went ballistic and the shrieking hordes descended upon us. Yes, some of them really did shriek.

Tanya Denali was the first to ring the bell, and the first to shriek "Oh my god, Edward! What will happen to us!" She draped herself around me, pressing her tits tight against my chest. "What will_ I_ do without you." she whimpered, looking up at me through her lashes, her tongue slowly wetting her bottom lip. I snickered to myself. Tanya always had a 'date' so I was pretty sure I knew exactly what she'd do without me. But she thrived in the spotlight. Drama was lifeblood to her, thus her early arrival. By being there before anyone else, it would seem that she had already known, and that "proved" we were a lot closer than was really the case. But I kinda liked that about her. She never pretended to be in love with me. She liked me and she liked sleeping with me, but she wasn't going to limit herself this early in life. She used me for my body, my status, and the occasional plus one. I was good with that. I smirked and began to answer. Then I heard one voice, and then another...pretty soon the foyer was getting crowded with all the people coming over to express their shock, to deplore the unfairness of it all, and basically make asses out of themselves on who was going to miss us the most.

I laughed at Alice as she suffered through yet another 'If this is the last time I see you, I must tell you how much I love you" confession of undying love. Always from guys who she absolutely knew were not, and never would be, her type. And she giggled herself silly at how freaked out I got every time one of my girls, (and quite a few who I 'd never even met before, _wink, wink_...) began blubbering on my collar. It seemed like friends we never even knew we had were crawling out of the woodwork.

I'd finally had enough. And what the hell...it seemed like fun to yank her chain a little. So I hunted Tanya up out of the crowd and pulled her to me. She looked up, surprised. But when I leaned down and kissed her, she didn't hesitate for a second before she was kissing me back, all wet and sloppy and full of manufactured passion. I hoped it looked hotter than it felt. Then I pulled away and put on a sad face. By this time we had everyone's attention. I reached up and cradled her face, and "whispered" quite loudly "It was always YOU, Tanya. Only you. I will miss you, but please, don't deny yourself companionship while I'm gone. I can't ask you to wait for me. It would not be fair!" I declaimed. I took a quick look around and _everyone_ was gawking. I tossed a wink at Twin and she rolled her eye, motioning me to get on with it.

I looked back at Tanya, her eyes glistening with delight. "If I could stay, I'd stay for you." I pulled away, keeping her hand in mine and led her through the crowd in the living room and out to the foyer. When we got to the door, I opened it and looked down at her. I knew she wasn't taking me seriously - her eyes were dancing with laughter in her solemn face and she fairly glowed with delight at all the attention. I kept my face serious and sad, and leaned down to kiss her one more time. "You will always have a place in my heart, dear, dear Tanya. But I can't...I can't..." I feigned grief, purposely stuttering, supposedly overcome with sadness. "I can't take it anymore. I will miss you Tanya, I will miss you all" I said, turning to the room. "But we must go. It's decided. So, please,...show yourselves out. I can't stand the grief a moment longer" And with one last "longing" look at Tanya, I dashed up the stairs and locked myself in my room. Where I promptly collapsed into uncontrollable laughter.

Forty-five minutes later Twin was pounding on my door. I opened it up, grinning down and her as she scowled up at me. Then her frown melted into giggles. "You are such a HAM" she scoffed, flopping down on my bed and supporting herself on her elbows.

"Nobody believed it, you know." she added.

"Yeah, but it made Tanya's day, and she'll owe me one when we come back."

"You left me down there to play sheepdog on everyone. That wasn't fair."

"Sorry." I agreed. I lay down beside her twining my pinkie with hers, something we often did when we really meant what we were saying. We lay there for a few minutes, both of us listening to the quiet. I finally grunted and sat up, pulling her up with me. "C'mon. We gotta pack. We'll start in your room." She gasped. "Shit. I only have one day to decide what to pack!" and then she was gone.

"Edward. EDWARD..." She called my name, getting louder and louder. She must be coming back to drag me in to help. "EDWARD!"

I opened my eyes and realized it wasn't the dream-Alice yelling at me, it was real-life Alice trying to shove me off her shoulder.

"Ewww. You _drooled_ on me." She whined, wiping at the dampness with a napkin. I must have fallen asleep at some point, but I didn't feel at all rested. People were already moving about the cabin, retrieving their things from overhead storage and queuing up for deplaning. I looked blearily at Alice and asked "I slept through landing?"

She giggled. "Yeah, you did. And thanks for the morning shower." she nodded at the stain on her sweater. I grinned back at her.

"No problem. Short shower for a short pixie." I teased.

She pinched my side with a laugh. I tried to wriggle away from her, but realized I was still belted in. She laughed harder as she kept pinching me while I flailed at her helplessly. Other passengers started to laugh at our antics before she finally relented and clicked my belt open for me. I found myself in a far better mood than I had been just minutes before. Shit I love my sister. She always seemed to know how to cheer me up. I stepped into the aisle and waited for her to exit in front of me. She ducked under my arm and we made our way out of the plane as she texted our Aunt that we'd meet her at baggage claim.

We were standing off to the side with our three bags around us, looking for Aunt Helen. It had been several years since we'd seen her last, so we were a little wary on whether we'd recognize her or not. My eyes scanned the crowd and came to a stop on a drop-dead gorgeous blond, all tall and stacked with legs for miles and a face that would've made the Old Master's cry. She caught me looking at her and nudged the lady standing next to her. The woman turned in our direction and her face lit up.

"Edward! Alice! Sweethearts, I so glad you made it." She gushed rushing up to us. I was glad she recognized us because Aunt Helen didn't look anything like I remembered her. My memory was of warm green eyes, brown hair, and a soft, plump body that gave really nice hugs.

Alice embraced her while Blondie eyeballed me up and down. I smirked back at her and raised one eyebrow.

"Of course, you all remember Roselie." she continued pulling the girl forward. Wow. _This_ was my cousin Rose? Man she had changed a LOT since I saw her last. She was wayyy hotter than I recalled her being. She smirked at me, knowing exactly what I was thinking. I tried not to blush as I looked away.

Still chattering away, and with Alice in tow, our Aunt proceeded to lead us out the doors and toward an older SUV, me and Rose trailing behind.

"So, Edward..." Roselie began.

"So, Rose..." I answered.

She grinned at me. "Any girls you're pining away for up in the Great White North?" What the hell? Is my cousin _hitting_ on me?! I gawked at her for a minute and she busted up laughing. "Not for me, idiot." she gasped. "Oh my god. You should've seen your face." I felt myself smiling ruefully.

"Well, what do you expect? Usually when a girl asks a guy if he's single it's because she's already picturing herself beside him." I defended.

She grinned up at me. "Nope. You're too skinny to be my type, even if you weren't my cousin and even if I didn't have a boyfriend already."

"So?"

"Well, I'll admit you aren't altogether unfortunate looking, and the dating pool in Forks is a little stagnant, so I just figured I'd warn you and Alice that you will be the shiny new toys for the next few months."

Alice looked back at us with wide eyes, giggling a bit as she mouthed "Edward Mason Fan Club". I shot her a look and smiled, shaking my head. I guess she could hear what Rose was saying even with Aunt Hellen chattering in her ear. I shrugged. I wasn't looking for attachments and Alice could handle herself, so I told Rose exactly that.

She opened the back passenger door and slid in next to Alice. "You can ride shotgun" she stated, pulling the door closed behind her. I climbed in and leaned over to click the seatbelt closed as she leaned forward to whisper "Just thought I'd warn you." before relaxing back with a knowing nod. Whatever.

She and Alice spent the next two hours talking about what clothes were trendy in Forks, what did they do for fun, and who was worth knowing and who wasn't. I stared out the window, watching the rain run down the glass. Rose told her all about her friends, Jasper and Bella. She told us about her boyfriend Emmett, and how they were all kind of their own clique. She mentioned then that her friends would be making themselves available to show us around. That was pretty nice of them, I guess.

"I so excited to have you here." she exclaimed. "When we get home, you guys can get unpacked and freshen up if you want, take a nap or whatever, but I'm taking you both out tonight so you can meet everyone instead of waiting until tomorrow." We were already signed into school and would start immediately. I had hoped we'd get at least a couple days to acclimatize ourselves, but I guess not.

Another hour or so later, we pulled up in front of a neat looking house with an attached garage that housed a flashy red BMW convertible.

"Who's car?" I asked eyeing it appreciatively as we exited the SUV.

"That's my baby, cuz. And no you can't drive it." Roselie replied smugly. "I will, however, allow you to ride in her."

With one last glance, I turned my attention to unloading the bags and getting them into the house. Aunt Helen and Uncle Dave weren't as well off as our family, so Alice was going to be sharing a room with Rose while I got the guest room all to myself. I tossed my bag onto the bed and looked around. It was nice. A little girly, but comfortable. A light lilac duvet covered the bed and the matching drapes obscured the view from the only window. A flowery border topped the beige walls and the furniture looked like odds and ends left over from when they bought new stuff for other rooms. But at least there was an en suite. I shrugged out of my jacket and began putting my clothes away. I could hear the sounds of Alice and Rose talking away with intervals of wild laughter. I smiled, glad that my sister had a ready-made friend in her cousin. I decided to take a quick shower and take a nap until Rose was ready to leave. The heat from the water relaxed me and I found myself falling asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.


	7. Chapter 7

**Not mine. Just playing around with them. They belong to SM**

**EPOV**

It seemed like only minutes later when I was woken by Rose pounding on the door hollering, "You got twenty minutes, Masen, or we leave without ya." I fumbled for my cell phone and looked at the time. 6:00. I yawned and stretched, scratching at the hair on my chest. I walked to the bathroom, rolled on some pit stick, and walked through a spritz of cologne (yeah, Alice showed me the 'right' way to apply cologne so as not smell like I bathed in it) before moving out to the closet and pulling out a crisp green button-up that made my eyes look crazy green and cool. Rose was hot so she probably had hot friends. And you only make a first impression once, so I wanted it to be a good one. I chose a pair of dark wash jeans and finished it off with a pair of black Vans. Grabbing up my wallet and phone, I left the room and walked down the stairs to the kitchen. Aunt Helen was pulling something out of the oven when I entered. It smelled fantastic and I found my mouth watering.

"I thought Rose was taking us out." I said, eyeing the casserole. My stomach rumbled noisily, causing her to look at me a smile.

"Oh, she is. This is for your Uncle Frank and I. We're going to have a date night while you all are out. Dinner and a movie. It'll be nice." She blushed a little as she said it. It was kinda cute. I rounded the island and hugged her. "Thank you for having us." I whispered.

She hugged me back. "It's nothing, sweetie. When Elizabeth called and I was happy to help." She paused for a minute before asking gently, "Did they tell you why you're both here?" She asked. I looked away and nodded. She gave me another small squeeze and stepped back. "Well, regardless of the reason, we're delighted to have you. And I think Rose may not be willing to give Alice back when everything gets back to normal" she joked.

"You could be right about that one, Mom" Rose said as she bounced into the kitchen, Alice only a step behind her. "I might keep her. We can send Eddie back any time though" She laughed, bumping me with her hip to show she was joking. I grinned back and looked over at Alice, who was also enjoying the teasing.

She looked really nice, without being dressy. I guess she wanted to make a good impression too. Her short dark hair was all messy spikes, and she wore a funky tee-shirt over some skinny jeans that were tucked into a pair of spike-heeled knee boots. Her turquoise leather jacked gave it a pop of color. She eyed me back and then stepped up to run her hands through my hair. I ducked away from her.

"Shit Alice! Quit!" I said, running my own hands through the strands, knowing I wasn't helping what she never hurt in the first place.

"Edward! Language!" my aunt admonished as she tried to hid her laughter at our play.

"Sorry." I said, hanging my head. She snorted and waved off my apology.

"You kids get on out of here. I still have to get ready for _my_ date," she said archly.

"We'll be home around ten, so I guess we'll catch you later." Rose said, spinning a set of keys on her finger. "C'mon, guys. Let's get out of here."

And with that, we trooped out to the garage.

Damn that's one fine car my cousin drives. It was smooth and quiet, and when she pushed it just a little, it kicked you back into the butter-soft leather seats. She grinned, watching my expression in the rear-view. "I got this for my 16th birthday. I paid for most of it, but Mom and Dad made up the rest."

"Do you have a job?" Alice asked curiously, fiddling with the volume on the stereo.

"Not anymore. I was working part time at Black's Garage doing tune-ups and brake jobs and saved every penny. Did some side-work for a few of the local car clubs, tuning their engines for more horsepower, that kind of thing. Saved every bit I made there too. So when I got my license, I got this for myself. One of the guys I did work for wrecked it being stupid and he was going to junk it. He gave me a damn good deal on it so that was cool. I put a shitload of work into the engine and frame, then traded labor for labor with a fabrication shop to get the body fixed and painted." I was impressed. That was a lot of work, even if the car was worth it. I looked at my cousin with a new appreciation. She was one tough, determined chick, that's for sure. "I ran out of money about then, so Mom and Dad stepped in and paid for the interior as well as the tags and title."

She finished her story just as she turned into the parking lot of a little restaurant whose sign proclaimed it to be 'Forks Diner'. She pulled into a space next to the stupidest looking VW in the history of stupid looking VW's. What kind of person paints a Beetle to look like the General Lee?! "Well, we're here. I recommend the double cheeseburger. And fries." she added as she opened her door.

It was so cliché, the little bell that tinkled above us as we entered. But that little tinkle caused every eye in the place to turn toward the door. I ducked my head, uncomfortable with the stares. It was rude, that's what it was. And you'd think they'd have the manners to at least pretend that they weren't talking about us now. Rose didn't even pause as she walked down the long counter towards an occupied booth near the jukebox.

There were two guys sitting together across from each other. The one facing toward us was one of the biggest guys I had ever seen. He took up most of his side of the booth, and looked to be a good bit taller than his friend, even sitting down. He was dark haired, cut short, and his hazel eyes were open and friendly. His smile was wide and happy as Rose slipped across the bench and under his arm. She cuddled up next to him and gave him a sweet kiss on the lips before pushing at him. "Scootch, Emmett, Jasper. We need to make room for Edward and Alice." Everybody slid over and I let Alice sit before I slid in next to her. "Where's Bella?" Rose asked.

"Bathroom" the little guy said softly. Well, he wasn't _really_ little, unless he was standing next to the Hulk there.

"Well let me introduce everybody," Rose began. She hugged the massive bicep of the behemoth beside her, "This is Emmett, my boyfriend." The big guy grinned and extended his huge paw across the table. "Good to meet ya." he said enthusiastically. "Rose has told us all about you." He engulfed Alice's hand as gently as if it was made of delicate glass. "You're a tiny little thing aintcha." He teased. "Don't worry, we've got your back. You're family to Rose, you're family to us, too." Alice gave him a smile but said nothing. Her attention seemed to be on the boy sitting next to her.

"And that's his brother Jasper," Rose continued, indicating the blond guy in the corner. I leaned over and gave him a friendly nod. Alice gave him a soft hello, before blushing and looking down. What the hell? Alice hasn't blushed for a guy in years. I didn't like this at all.

"And here comes his girl, AND my bestie...Bella!" she jumped up and threw her arms around a shorter, dark haired girl who in turn hugged her back.

"My Rosie-Posie" she squealed. "I missed you today. School sucks without you" she pouted, before turning her attention toward us.

I took a good look at this Bella girl. Nice body, gorgeous hair, and plump lips was what I saw. And her eyes. They locked on mine and I lost myself in their sweet, chocolate depths. I didn't even know I was standing up until I was already there, with her little hand cupped firmly in my own. I couldn't help but notice it fit there perfectly. And then I stood there like an idiot, just smiling down at her.

"It's nice to finally meet you. Edward, right?" She said softly, glancing over at Blond Dude...er, Jasper. I jumped a little and realized than Rose hadn't actually introduced us.

"Ah, yeah. That's me." I rolled my eyes at myself. What the fuck was wrong with me? I cleared my throat, "And this is my sister Alice. Yeah, we're Rose's cousins." I knew I was rambling. I couldn't help it. I suddenly realized that I was still holding her hand, so I gently pulled mine away. Why did it feel so empty all of a sudden? And why did I notice that she was just the right size to fit under my arm? She had a boyfriend! A boyfriend who was smiling at my sister.


End file.
